That Phil Robertson Suspension is Silly

     We don’t have cable so I don’t have full access all the time to either the A&E network or the Duck Dynasty show but I have seen plenty about the family in other news outlets and on the rare occasion I watched the show at another person’s house. It’s pretty clear what values the Robertson family holds. The anti-homosexuality sentiment has always been tightly linked with Christianity, especially in the mainstream media.

     If we’re going to be real then his statements comparing homosexuality to bestiality might have been disturbing or upsetting to certain people but that's because of their own personal values. There is a broad spectrum of personal values, morals, and beliefs. Every individual falls into a different part of this spectrum. Likewise, every individual is completely mobile on this spectrum; able to move from one end to the other based on their own changing knowledge and experiences. Homosexuality is acceptable to some. Bestiality is, in fact, acceptable to some. Neither are acceptable to others. For those that think neither are acceptable they would indeed be viewed as equivalent. Just as some believe eating all meat is acceptable, some believe eating only some animal products is acceptable, and others believe only no animal product whatsoever is acceptable. It is a completely separate issue, perhaps on a different level than sexuality, but the principle and the concept is the same.

     What I find fascinating is that he also mentioned sleeping around in the same quote in equal comparison to both bestiality and homosexuality but no one is freaking out about that. I would think more Americans would be upset with that (because it is applicable to a much higher proportion of people) than the not uncommon homosexuality and bestiality comparison. In fact, in the context of his statement the order of offense was homosexuality, then bestiality, then sleeping around. If you take it literally and want to attribute higher offense to the order of his words than sleeping around, not bestiality is the worst of these.  Why isn't anyone freaking out over that??


     Regardless, Phil Robertson is a self-acknowledged bible-thumper. He is a Christian. His family is Christian. They live based on the teachings of Christ and the truths found in the Bible. They have all been open about their biblical beliefs from the beginning. His statements, whether anyone agrees with them or not, are derived from the Bible.

     Furthermore, he made very clear in a separate statement soon after his full perspective regarding this issue: "I myself am a product of the '60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior. My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the Bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together. However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.”

     With these statements, he confessed to having been what he now views as sinful. He was not condemning or damning anyone. He was stating what he accepts to be true. That homosexuality, bestiality, and sleeping around are sins.

     In the end, A&E should have left it at “Robertson is not our representative. We do not share his opinions, values, or beliefs. We choose to air the Duck Dynasty show despite these differences. We will continue to support homosexual group A, B, and C as we have before.” or what have you and left it at that. One thing A&E and the Duck Dynasty show will be getting out of all of it is a whole lot of publicity.